I have recently found the powerful truth behind the saying ‘never judge a book by its cover’. This is especially true when people are concerned. I made the assumption that I knew someone; that is, until they told me about their life story. The story of our lives is something that can’t be guessed at and is something hard for others to understand. But when our stories are shared, they can lead to true beauty of those listening.
The story I had the honor of hearing came from Teresa Martin, who works at the Roxy Movie Theater, where I also work. Teresa isn’t just another worker; she practically holds the theater together. She knows how to do everything there, and knows most of the people who walk through the door. In fact, I think that is Teresa’s undiscovered super power is her memory. She can remember everyone who walked in the door that night in the theater. Teresa can even recall what you told her a month ago. I am constantly amazed by all that she remembers. Although when Teresa told me her story, it was I who would always remember this conversation.
When I met Teresa thought I knew her story, boy was I wrong. I knew some about her past, but not much. I knew she had two sons, who are now adults. She worked at a couple of gas stations and as a waitress before working at Walt’s hardware store and the Theater. The rest of her story I assumed I knew. The way I saw her story was; that she grew up in Holbrook, got pregnant young, and worked at whatever jobs she could to support her family. Now this was partly right. She did take whatever job she could to support her family, but the rest was totally wrong, and I am angry with myself for even thinking this. Teresa grew up in Tucson. That is also where she was trained in health care. She got married to her late husband William. They had two sons, James and Adam. Teresa stayed in Tucson in an apartment with her family. That is, until one day when one of her sons went over to hang out with some friends who lived a couple of apartments away. One of the boys in the apartment got made at another boy for touching his girlfriend, or something, and shot and killed him. Teresa and her husband decided right then that they wanted to leave the city and raise their boys somewhere else. Teresa had been to Holbrook before and was told that, if, she came to Holbrook there would be a job for her at the senior center. Teresa moved here expecting that job, however, when she came here she was told that the job had already been given away. So, Teresa worked where ever she could to help support her family.
After she finished her story I was dead silent. I couldn’t even begin to express my shock at such a tale. I would have never known the hardships Teresa had faced if she didn’t tell me. Teresa is always smiling and kind, the exact opposite of what I would expect someone to be like who had such a rough life. I will forever remember her, not for the hardships of her life, but for the positivity that she displayed in her life. I would have missed all this if Teresa was not willing to share her beautiful life story.
Hey Eryn, great blog. I think that in High School we have a lot of opportunities to judge books or people by their covers. We see and we make up the rest of the story by ourselves. We fill in the holes with what would fit with an appearance. I think that this is one of the most important things that we should learn from in High School. Appearances are there to deceive us. People smile and tell you that they're okay when they are screaming. Judgment is not meant to be given by us.
ReplyDeleteWell, anyways thanks for the post Eryn :)
This is completely true! It is always sad to me that i think of the minimum that a person could do to get where they are, i usually jump to conclusions without giving people the benefit of the doubt. It is inspiring when we are blessed with people like Teresa in our lives, because they show us that people are good. There is goodness in the world throughout all of the trial and hardships. There is always room for positivity. Thank you for your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteEyrn, I am so glad that she was willing to share her story with you. Often we make assumptions about people based on the brief time we spend with them at work, school, Safeway, etc. However, when we actually sit down with them and listen to what they have to say we’re surprised. I have recently learned a similar lesson about first impressions. There is a girl we go to school with that not many people like. One day, in drama, she shared with me the reason she tried to avoid the people around her. She was afraid that they wouldn’t understand her quirks and habits. She is actually a wonderful person to be around and quite funny. Wonderful blog!!
ReplyDeleteEryn, this post is so true. I feel like, especially since we are in high school, we find the one or two people who do not “fit in” with the rest of us. We automatically label them off as “weird” or “different.” This is actually a really horrible thing to do. We have to stop doing this. We need to get to where we learn both side of the story before we judge them. This reminds me of what Kylie told us the other day about her little brother Kobe. It really made me sad because I coached a basketball team of kids Kobe’s age and they all looked forward to playing Kobe’s team. It surprised me and made me really sad to hear he is getting picked on for something he can’t help. He has a back story that kids need to hear before they call him names. This is how all people should be. We should all be understanding and reach out to people who need us.
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